Our Programme
We normally meet on every 2nd Wednesday of the month (except August)
at Park Junior School Hall, Stonehouse. Directions to the School
Everyone welcome to attend. Entrance charge £2 members, £3 non-members (unless otherwise notified)
2023
Wednesday December 13th 7.15 for 7.30
at Park Junior School
We will be serving Christmas refreshments – mince pies, sausage rolls, wine (including non-alcoholic), apple juice –
before the talk so please arrive by 7.15
Kirsty Hartsiotis – “Christmas Ghosts – The Tradition of Winter Tales in Gloucestershire and Beyond”
We’ve told supernatural tales at midwinter for a very long time. In this talk storyteller and folklorist Kirsty Hartsiotis takes us back to the earliest winter tales of the Middle Ages and the age of Shakespeare and Marlowe. We then explore the lost years of the 17th and 18th centuries, where it’s often thought that Christmas wasn’t celebrated much – but ghost tales at Christmas-tide were very part of the season. In the 19th century many traditional Christmas ghost tales were collected, and even now it’s considered one of the spookiest times of the years. Kirsty draws on midwinter tales from all around Gloucestershire and explores links with European midwinter traditions. You may well come away with a shiver running down your spine and with stories to share around your fireside this Christmas!
2024
Wednesday January 10th 7.30
at Park Junior School
Kevin Ward – “Fundraising for weapons in the Stroud district in World War Two”
Kevin Ward is the Museum Development Manager at the Museum in the Park, Stroud.
Previous to this he was the Head of Collections Management at the RAF Museum, Hendon.
In this new talk the speaker will talk about the history of the Stroud district and weapons of war,
before describing some of the community fundraising activities and weapons bought by the district in World War Two.
Wednesday February 14th 7.30
at Park Junior School
Short talks by members
Phil Bischler – “A short history of alum, a tale of the Pope, pirates and pee!”
Cresby Brown – “Gloucestershire’s Wayside crosses”
Alex Walmsley – Saving Stonehouse Railway Station – Jack Anderson’s role.
Vicki Walker – “Frank Moore 1889-1977”
Wednesday March 13th 7.30
at Park Junior School
Kate Peake – “The Cotswold Way”
Wednesday April 10th 7.30
at Park Junior School
Dr Steven Blake – “The remarkable John Bellamy (1808-1893): the story of a Gloucestershire travelling showman”
Travelling shows were a familiar sight in 19th-century England, and in its day, one of the best known was John Bellamy’s ‘British Model Gallery’. This was a collection of cork and card models of historic buildings which toured the country in a fleet of caravans between 1836 and Bellamy’s death in 1893, when he was described as ‘the oldest showman in England’.
Drawing largely on Bellamy’s unpublished memoirs and contemporary newspaper accounts, this talk will trace the career of Gloucestershire-born Bellamy as he travelled the country from town to town and fair to fair. In so doing, it will provide an insight into an important aspect of the popular culture of Victorian England.
Wednesday May 8th 7.30
at Park Junior School
AGM followed by members talks on “Shops of Stonehouse” (details to come)
Future meeting dates for 2024
June 12th
July 10th
No meeting in August
September 11th
October 9th
November 13th
Wednesday December 11th 7.30
at Park Junior School
Nick Brunger – “Strange tales”
A set of spooky and mysterious stories illustrated with magic effects.
A mix of stories from Gloucestershire’s past, with other fictional tales – but all with a strong historical base.